Today is Labor Day. The weather has been beautiful the whole weekend - warm, sunny. You can't miss doing something outside. And after working hard the day before, it's time for a little time to ourselves.

I started with a bike ride. Oh gosh how much I missed my bike! I can't find my Garmin watch, and my Garmin Edge is not charged. Alright, it will still be a bike ride without Strava!

Niagara River Parkway is one of Niagara’s best-kept secrets. A couple were having a picnic by the river. Their dog stared at me. Another cyclist rode away. A group of young people were trying to launch a huge float onto the river. Waves from passing motorboats echoed. The world faded away.

Then I came back to Creekside and took the canoe out onto the creek with my husband.

One of the things I love about living here is that we don't have to go anywhere special to paddle out. The creek is right in our backyard, and once we're on the water, the world feels surprisingly quiet.

We weren't really rowing, more like drifting lazily along. The familiar view of our backyard slowly disappeared, replaced by stretches of water, lily pads, willow trees, and the quiet sounds of late summer.

This time, we paddled farther than we ever have before. On the way back, turtles were out, sunbathing on the logs. And then we could see Creekside again from the water.

Happy Labor Day from Creekside.